Campaigners in Bourne End protest against Slate Meadow development plans

A CAMPAIGN group protesting against proposed plans to build on former green belt land have stepped up their efforts to have the site removed from the council’s plans.

One campaigner has even bought a banner to put outside her house, directly opposite the proposed access road to the site.

The group are protesting against Wycombe District Councils proposal to potentially develop on Slate Meadow, which separates Bourne End and Wooburn Green.

Miriam Blazey, who had five t-shirts and a large banner printed, said: “It (the banner) was the easiest way to let people know about the development and the work we are doing.

“This house is directly opposite Frank Lunnon Close which is one of the proposed access roads onto the site.”

Mrs Blazey has now displayed the banner on the fence in her front garden which will hopefully alert even more people in the area to the potential development.

The house on Cores End road is directly opposite a potential access road to the site which would increase traffic on the already busy road.

Mrs Blazey added: “The group are trying to get at least two more banners and we may use some old boards that the Bourne End Residents Association has from the last time Slate Meadow was a proposed area for development.”

Comments (9)

Not in our back garden springs to mind here. More housing is required and this land is not being used for anything else. As a hard working citizen of the area and having been on the housing waiting list for eight years and unable to obtain a mortgage, we need more homes built. These 'protestors' have a decent home on the main road into the Bourne End Village, and are not looking at the bigger picture for the community. Selfish is the word that brings to mind

Not in our back garden springs to mind here. More housing is required and this land is not being used for anything else. As a hard working citizen of the area and having been on the housing waiting list for eight years and unable to obtain a mortgage, we need more homes built. These 'protestors' have a decent home on the main road into the Bourne End Village, and are not looking at the bigger picture for the community. Selfish is the word that brings to mindBourne End Together

On the contrary. The Save Slate Meadow has nothing to do with being anti-house building. It's about appropriate building in appropriate places, not on Flood Zone 2 areas (subject to potential further upgrade now that groundwater flooding is taken account of). You want that meadow concreted over? Fine. Then accept the consequences of increased traffic along the propsed narrow feeder roads,increased accidents (Cores End Road is already a black spot) , increased groundwater flooding (would you enjoy effuence entering your home from below as suffered by residents of Cores End Road have suffered for weeks on end?), over crowded schools (St Paul's is already at capacity - that would be the nearest - I don't think Meadows/Claytons are able to take any overspill).
So not looking at the big picture? OK - here's the big picture. Take a wander within a 500 yard radius of Bourne End Railway station and count up the number of empty buildings designated as "business premises", buildings which in some cases have been empty since construction. Then bear in mind that legisation was changed some while ago enabling local authorities to re-designate such buildings as for domestic use. Then take into account the fact that there are over 700,000 existing properties in the UK which currently remain empty. Further, take a look around Maidenhead in our neighbouring borough - just look at the levels of dereliction in Brownfield sites.
I'm sorry, but your accusation of NIMBYism is false, insulting and short sighted. Bourne End is a village, Wooburn Green is a separate village. Both have identities which should be retained. Bourne End now has four supermarket chain outlets, with a fifth, and possibly a sixth to come. One in particular, which has now been built outside the parameters of permission granted, could very easily have been utilised to create a minimum of 25 homes alone. Was the supermarket really needed, when alternatives are already in the same village, and a similar outlet from that chain exists in the next village, and a larger supermarket from the same chain again in the NEXT village?
Ripping up natural drainage is not an answer. making proper use of town centres, empty industrial/office/do
mestic buildings is!
Can I suggest you look at https://www.facebook
.com/#!/groups/SaveS
lateMeadow/ which gives a greater insight into the concerns of protesters which fall WAY outside your perceived reasons.
Finally, if you feel strongly enough that your own stance is the right one, you can always express those views at the public meeting to be held at Wye Valley School on 24th March - this is not a protest meeting - it's a consultation meeting arranged by WDC and pre-registration is required via newlocalplan@wycombe
.gov.uk - I'd hope that by attending, you might find that the issue is far wider than you may at first think.

Sincerely - a non-resident of Cores End Road or its feeders.

On the contrary. The Save Slate Meadow has nothing to do with being anti-house building. It's about appropriate building in appropriate places, not on Flood Zone 2 areas (subject to potential further upgrade now that groundwater flooding is taken account of). You want that meadow concreted over? Fine. Then accept the consequences of increased traffic along the propsed narrow feeder roads,increased accidents (Cores End Road is already a black spot) , increased groundwater flooding (would you enjoy effuence entering your home from below as suffered by residents of Cores End Road have suffered for weeks on end?), over crowded schools (St Paul's is already at capacity - that would be the nearest - I don't think Meadows/Claytons are able to take any overspill).
So not looking at the big picture? OK - here's the big picture. Take a wander within a 500 yard radius of Bourne End Railway station and count up the number of empty buildings designated as "business premises", buildings which in some cases have been empty since construction. Then bear in mind that legisation was changed some while ago enabling local authorities to re-designate such buildings as for domestic use. Then take into account the fact that there are over 700,000 existing properties in the UK which currently remain empty. Further, take a look around Maidenhead in our neighbouring borough - just look at the levels of dereliction in Brownfield sites.
I'm sorry, but your accusation of NIMBYism is false, insulting and short sighted. Bourne End is a village, Wooburn Green is a separate village. Both have identities which should be retained. Bourne End now has four supermarket chain outlets, with a fifth, and possibly a sixth to come. One in particular, which has now been built outside the parameters of permission granted, could very easily have been utilised to create a minimum of 25 homes alone. Was the supermarket really needed, when alternatives are already in the same village, and a similar outlet from that chain exists in the next village, and a larger supermarket from the same chain again in the NEXT village?
Ripping up natural drainage is not an answer. making proper use of town centres, empty industrial/office/do
mestic buildings is!
Can I suggest you look at https://www.facebook
.com/#!/groups/SaveS
lateMeadow/ which gives a greater insight into the concerns of protesters which fall WAY outside your perceived reasons.
Finally, if you feel strongly enough that your own stance is the right one, you can always express those views at the public meeting to be held at Wye Valley School on 24th March - this is not a protest meeting - it's a consultation meeting arranged by WDC and pre-registration is required via newlocalplan@wycombe
.gov.uk - I'd hope that by attending, you might find that the issue is far wider than you may at first think.
Sincerely - a non-resident of Cores End Road or its feeders.unhappyhammer

Well I can see the steam coming out now. Look at all the homelss,. I appreciate what you are saying about natural drainage, but as I said you are saying not in my backyeard, talking about schools increasing in size, more traffic, well parents should walk their children to school. Also where I do agree about empty offices, show me empty houses, which is what we are talking about. I am sure that architects, surveyors etc will do their research.
Maidenhead is a different county, and has nothing to do with a proposal at Slate Meadow. I will be at the meeting with an open mind, but answer me this where would you build housing for homeless and underprividged families, not in Bourne End
Slate Meadow for housing is what I say!!!

Well I can see the steam coming out now. Look at all the homelss,. I appreciate what you are saying about natural drainage, but as I said you are saying not in my backyeard, talking about schools increasing in size, more traffic, well parents should walk their children to school. Also where I do agree about empty offices, show me empty houses, which is what we are talking about. I am sure that architects, surveyors etc will do their research.
Maidenhead is a different county, and has nothing to do with a proposal at Slate Meadow. I will be at the meeting with an open mind, but answer me this where would you build housing for homeless and underprividged families, not in Bourne End
Slate Meadow for housing is what I say!!!Bourne End Together

Why remove greenery forever, put further strain on sewer/drainage and road systems, remove NATURAL drainage etc when we have virtually an entire business park off Cores End Road which remains empty? That could easily be converted into the affordable housing you seek without creating yet more concrete, and as I said, recent legislation changes now mean there is no difficulty in changing use from office to housing from a planning perspective. If you look at the Facebook link I posted earlier, you'll see photos taken of Slate Meadow when saturated and with an internal drainage ditch absolutely FULL of water - where do you think that water will go when the meadow is built upon? If your property on Slate Meadow floods, if you suffer effluence through floor level as the drainage system collapses, will you be happy that you live there?
The Government announced at the wekend that a new city is proposed in Kent creating at least 15000 homes. If you know the Ebbsfleet area at all, you'll know that makes perfect sense as it's a wasteland and the efects of building on flood/drainage levels etc wil be minimal - and it's the way forward surely to build large scale developments with a proper infrastructure in place than to piecemeal add tag ons to areas already under pressure.
Sorry to be blunt, but if you feel Slate Meadow development will produce magical "affordable accommodation" you're in dreamland - show me one of these small areas which have been developed elesewhere in the country with that promise where the promise has actually been delivered. It's a fact that certain areas will never be "affordable" for FTBs, especially whilst we allow the buy to let regime to live on unabated! I'd dearly love to live in the New Forest, but that's unaffordable to me.Previously, I wanted to live in this area but had to spend 10 years in a roughish part of Slough first.
I'm sorry for anyone trying to get on the ownership ladder or finding affordable rented accommodation now, but believe me, this kind of mini-development is NEVER going to be an answer, but it IS going to produce a LOT of community problems, not just for the immediate area around Slate Meadow, but knock on effects elsewhere.

BET
Why remove greenery forever, put further strain on sewer/drainage and road systems, remove NATURAL drainage etc when we have virtually an entire business park off Cores End Road which remains empty? That could easily be converted into the affordable housing you seek without creating yet more concrete, and as I said, recent legislation changes now mean there is no difficulty in changing use from office to housing from a planning perspective. If you look at the Facebook link I posted earlier, you'll see photos taken of Slate Meadow when saturated and with an internal drainage ditch absolutely FULL of water - where do you think that water will go when the meadow is built upon? If your property on Slate Meadow floods, if you suffer effluence through floor level as the drainage system collapses, will you be happy that you live there?
The Government announced at the wekend that a new city is proposed in Kent creating at least 15000 homes. If you know the Ebbsfleet area at all, you'll know that makes perfect sense as it's a wasteland and the efects of building on flood/drainage levels etc wil be minimal - and it's the way forward surely to build large scale developments with a proper infrastructure in place than to piecemeal add tag ons to areas already under pressure.
Sorry to be blunt, but if you feel Slate Meadow development will produce magical "affordable accommodation" you're in dreamland - show me one of these small areas which have been developed elesewhere in the country with that promise where the promise has actually been delivered. It's a fact that certain areas will never be "affordable" for FTBs, especially whilst we allow the buy to let regime to live on unabated! I'd dearly love to live in the New Forest, but that's unaffordable to me.Previously, I wanted to live in this area but had to spend 10 years in a roughish part of Slough first.
I'm sorry for anyone trying to get on the ownership ladder or finding affordable rented accommodation now, but believe me, this kind of mini-development is NEVER going to be an answer, but it IS going to produce a LOT of community problems, not just for the immediate area around Slate Meadow, but knock on effects elsewhere.unhappyhammer

Bourne End Together wrote:
Not in our back garden springs to mind here. More housing is required and this land is not being used for anything else. As a hard working citizen of the area and having been on the housing waiting list for eight years and unable to obtain a mortgage, we need more homes built. These 'protestors' have a decent home on the main road into the Bourne End Village, and are not looking at the bigger picture for the community. Selfish is the word that brings to mind

Well Mr BE together if they build on Slate meadow are you really expecting a sharp rise in your salary and the banks welcoming everyone in and offering mortgages to all ?
What makes you think you will be able to land a mortgage then but not now ?
Iv'e read your posts and you either come across to me as a wind up merchant or dim. I prefer the latter as I hate disappointment

[quote][p][bold]Bourne End Together[/bold] wrote:
Not in our back garden springs to mind here. More housing is required and this land is not being used for anything else. As a hard working citizen of the area and having been on the housing waiting list for eight years and unable to obtain a mortgage, we need more homes built. These 'protestors' have a decent home on the main road into the Bourne End Village, and are not looking at the bigger picture for the community. Selfish is the word that brings to mind[/p][/quote]Well Mr BE together if they build on Slate meadow are you really expecting a sharp rise in your salary and the banks welcoming everyone in and offering mortgages to all ?
What makes you think you will be able to land a mortgage then but not now ?
Iv'e read your posts and you either come across to me as a wind up merchant or dim. I prefer the latter as I hate disappointmentjesus rode a bike

I am disappointed that we have come across as NIMBYs - this isn't our intention. Sure, there are a few people on the campaign that may be like that, but the majority of us have genuine concerns about the removal of the natural protection that the flood plain offers us and people further downstream and the removal of the village green, which forms an un-interupted area for nature along the old railway line (Not that planning was rejected in 1990 because of concerns on infrastructure and increased risk of flooding)

Disappointingly, it seems from the first meeting with the planners, that they had not visited the site and were not aware of it's status as a floodplain. I doubt that they have considered the Wye as a biodiversity opportunity area (which stretches 250 m beyond the banks) nor the reports of bat nests. Their own previous reports also show that it is not particular well suited economically, nor infrastructure-wise either.

I live in a house on an estate that was previously a field, so I would feel hypocritical is campaigning against the building of houses just because we would lose a field (although, other people have justifiable concerns here too, as they specifically bought their houses because of the outlook and it's unfair to take that from them). However, the other concerns that we have regarding the wildlife and floodplain isn't down to NIMBYism, it's about protecting a "floodplain stock" rather than creating "housing stock".

We're Not NIMBYs we are LOFAs - Leave Our Floodplains Alone, which is a wholly more altruistic mindset that (we hope) has a positive impact on the flood risk across the UK, not just in our locality.

I am disappointed that we have come across as NIMBYs - this isn't our intention. Sure, there are a few people on the campaign that may be like that, but the majority of us have genuine concerns about the removal of the natural protection that the flood plain offers us and people further downstream and the removal of the village green, which forms an un-interupted area for nature along the old railway line (Not that planning was rejected in 1990 because of concerns on infrastructure and increased risk of flooding)
Disappointingly, it seems from the first meeting with the planners, that they had not visited the site and were not aware of it's status as a floodplain. I doubt that they have considered the Wye as a biodiversity opportunity area (which stretches 250 m beyond the banks) nor the reports of bat nests. Their own previous reports also show that it is not particular well suited economically, nor infrastructure-wise either.
I live in a house on an estate that was previously a field, so I would feel hypocritical is campaigning against the building of houses just because we would lose a field (although, other people have justifiable concerns here too, as they specifically bought their houses because of the outlook and it's unfair to take that from them). However, the other concerns that we have regarding the wildlife and floodplain isn't down to NIMBYism, it's about protecting a "floodplain stock" rather than creating "housing stock".
We're Not NIMBYs we are LOFAs - Leave Our Floodplains Alone, which is a wholly more altruistic mindset that (we hope) has a positive impact on the flood risk across the UK, not just in our locality.LOFA so good

Dim eh! Pot kettle black. Read it properly, it did not say that when they have built these homes that one would get a mortgage, it would assist in providing homes for those on the extensive housing list in the Wycombe area. Not everyone can afford or is suitable for a mortage. Slate Meadow could help many people from all walks of life
I do not want to get into any slanderous posts and will reserve any further comments to the meeting on the 24th

Dim eh! Pot kettle black. Read it properly, it did not say that when they have built these homes that one would get a mortgage, it would assist in providing homes for those on the extensive housing list in the Wycombe area. Not everyone can afford or is suitable for a mortage. Slate Meadow could help many people from all walks of life
I do not want to get into any slanderous posts and will reserve any further comments to the meeting on the 24thBourne End Together

I challenge you to find one reference in the WDC consultation document to this proposed development providing "social housing". There isn't one and why? Because Slate Meadow isn't owned wholly by WDC - at least two property development companies own, or at least have options on the lion's share. The homes purchased willl be made available for sale or will saturate still further the greedy buy to let high rent market. That is one of the many reasons why your suggestion that this proposal is any form of solution is wrong.
If you think locals have got it bad here for finding affordable housing, try looking in many other areas of the South and South East. Rents ARE more affordable in less desirable areas of course - that's what we get for treating property as "investment" rather than "home".
In closing, I appreciate you don't like being the target of insult and I agree, that's not a good way to react, but with respect, your initial comment and reiteration of the charge of NIMBYism is not exactly going to open yourself up to reasonable discussion!

BET
I challenge you to find one reference in the WDC consultation document to this proposed development providing "social housing". There isn't one and why? Because Slate Meadow isn't owned wholly by WDC - at least two property development companies own, or at least have options on the lion's share. The homes purchased willl be made available for sale or will saturate still further the greedy buy to let high rent market. That is one of the many reasons why your suggestion that this proposal is any form of solution is wrong.
If you think locals have got it bad here for finding affordable housing, try looking in many other areas of the South and South East. Rents ARE more affordable in less desirable areas of course - that's what we get for treating property as "investment" rather than "home".
In closing, I appreciate you don't like being the target of insult and I agree, that's not a good way to react, but with respect, your initial comment and reiteration of the charge of NIMBYism is not exactly going to open yourself up to reasonable discussion!unhappyhammer

Would any developer buy land without a good chance of being able to build houses on it? We need full disclosure from WDC about what they told the developers when they sold the land off.

"Nudge nudge, wink wink"

Would any developer buy land without a good chance of being able to build houses on it? We need full disclosure from WDC about what they told the developers when they sold the land off.
"Nudge nudge, wink wink"BucksComment